Best Friends 'Till the End
by Cinderwing
Summary: Steve and Soda's friendship, and how they met. Will only have two chapters! Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, another story woo! xD This time it has Soda and Steve, when they first met. There will only be 2 chapters here, this one and the next one. Special thanks to Cirruz The Night Elf :3 And uh, I think that's it. :o**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders, or Steve, or Soda! They all belong to S.E. Hinton!**

* * *

It was the usual school day, recess was always the same. Seven-year-old Sodapop would always play tag with his friends, until the whistle blew, signalling for everyone that recess was over. Soda grinned, giggling as he ran away from the others. His wheat-gold colored hair flew in every direction as he dashed towards the slides, his big chocolate brown eyes twinkling with excitement.

He glanced back at the others, but they were way back at the fence, chasing after this small kid. Soda skidded to a stop in the sand, completely oblivious to where he was standing.

"Hey!" A voice shouted from the ground, Soda glanced down at the kid, confused. The kid's dark blue eyes were filled with anger, making Soda even more confused. "What?" He inquired, tilting his head to the left.

"You messed up my drawing!" The young boy snapped, and Soda looked down at the ground. Sure enough there was a drawing in the sand, which was partially destroyed thanks to Soda's big feet. "Oh..." He took a step back, and shot the boy an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

The young boy's grip on the stick he was drawing with tightened, and he glared down at his drawing, trying to fix the part where Soda ruined. Soda knelt down on the ground, across from the brown-haired boy, "I'm Sodapop Curtis," He held out his hand, trying to be formal like his mother had taught him. "but you can call me Soda." The boy looked up again, annoyed. "Steve," He paused, "Steve Randle." He eyed Soda's hand suspiciously, before shaking it.

Soda quickly looked behind him to make sure that there weren't any of his friends in sight, he hated being the one who was 'it'. "Y'know, I'm sorry about steppin' on your drawin'. It looks nice..." He commented, eyeing the sand curiously, "What's it supposed to be?" He asked, innocently.

"It's obviously a car," Steve looked up at Soda as if he was stupid. Soda didn't realize it, but just smiled widely, "Well that's a tuff car!" He complimented, standing up onto his feet. He looked at Steve, intently, as if he recognized him from somewhere. But where? Then the thought hit him, Aha! "Hey! Aren't we in the same grade? I've seen you before! You stole Mary's lunch the other day!" He laughed, completely proud of himself for recognizing the boy.

Steve nodded, focusing on his car drawing. "Yeah, so? It's not like she was gonna eat it, anyway." He shrugged, "I was hungry." He added, then looked up at Soda. "And you... you're that kid, that weird and always happy kid."

Soda instantly pouted, They think I'm weird? "I'm not weird!" He shook his head quickly, taking offense. His reaction made Steve chuckle, and smile a bit, "Just kiddin'. Golly kid, you sure are real easy to fool."

Sodapop crossed his arms across his chest, and huffed, opening his mouth to say some witty comeback. All of a sudden, footsteps appeared behind him, and he was knocked down onto the ground, pushing Steve on the way down. "You're it!" A kid hollered, laughing hysterically.

Soda frowned as he landed on his wrist wrong and twisted it, his bottom lip jutted out, and his eyes widened in pain. He slowly sat up, staring at his wrist, which burned and ached at the same time. His friend, Dale, kneeled down, "Soda? Are you okay?" He helped Soda up to his feet, and Soda cradled his wrist. "Sorry, Soda, I didn't mean to hurt your wrist."

After sitting up, Steve glanced down at the sand where Soda was once laying, now his drawing was completely ruined. He sighed, annoyed, this was the second time within two minutes. Steve glanced up at Soda, who was on the verge of tears, curiously raising an eyebrow, he stood up too. "What happened?" He asked, putting a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. He looked up, pouting, "I think I broke my wrist!" He cried, showing Steve his wrist. It was slightly bruised, but not swollen, he noted. Steve cracked a small smile, he knew the difference between broken and sprained, thanks to his abusive father, and his wrist sure wasn't broken. "Nah, you just sprained your wrist," He patted him on the back, reassuringly.

Soda's eyes seemed to lighten up, and he smiled, "Oh, okay!" Soda didn't really understand the meaning of 'sprained' but he thought that it meant that it was all better. Shrugging, he swung his arm around Dale's neck, flexing his wrist as he did so. Pain shot up his arm, and he pulled his arm away, shaking his head. "No! I think it's broken! It hurts!" He complained, looking over at Steve.

Steve chuckled at Soda's expression, "It's not broken, you just... twisted it the wrong way." He shrugged, dropping his stick next to the remnants of his car drawing. "It'll get better soon, don't worry."

Soda nodded, "Oh okay, cool!" He turned to his older friend who was glaring at Steve. Soda glanced back at Steve, who was now glaring at Dale. "Stupid Soc," Steve spat, narrowing his eyes. Steve was a lot more mature than the other 7-year-olds, mostly because he had to take care of himself since his mother was dead and his father was an abusive drunk. He knew the social groups of Tulsa, and he knew what one looked like just by what they wore. Dale was wearing madras, meaning that he was a Soc.

Steve despised Socs with a burning passion, others wouldn't think that a 7-year-old could actually hate someone, but Steve surely did. He hated Socs as much as he hated his father. He was surely glad he wasn't a Soc, he wouldn't want to be babied by everyone like the Socs are. He was proud to be a greaser, and that was final.

"Stupid greaser." Dale spat right back, glaring daggers at Steve. Soda watched the two, obviously confused on what was going on. "You better get outta my sight before I dent your face in!" Steve snapped, coldly. Dale raised his eyebrows, thinking that he didn't have the guts to do it. Dale leaned in closer to Steve, "Do it, I dare you."

Steve held back a laugh, as he grinned wildly. "You don't have to tell me twice." He swung his arm back, before assailing his fist into Dale's face. Soda's eyes widened in shock as he heard a 'pop' then Dale let out a wail, stumbling backwards. Steve puffed out his chest proudly, as if he just won an arm wrestling game. "You jerk!" Dale cried, before running away to the teachers.

Soda faced Steve, "What was that for?" He asked, bewildered. Steve shrugged, "He had it comin'. Plus," He paused, chuckling, "he actually asked for it! Can you believe that?" Soda shook his head, sighing. Steve shrugged, and walked towards the swings, with Soda following beside him, still cradling his wrist.

"You gotta admit that was pretty cool." Steve broke the short silence, grinning like an idiot. Soda thought for a moment, debating whether or not he should agree or not. "Yeah, I guess it was." He agreed, starting to grin too. Soda plopped down on one of the swings, with Steve on the swing next to him.

Soda pumped his legs back and forth to swing higher. The wind messing up his shaggy hair again, he stared at the sky, mostly at the birds that flew all around. He tried counting them too, One birdie, two birdie, three birdie... He looked away, as he lost count since the birds got all mixed up. He sighed, and looked over at Steve, who was swinging at the same pace as he was. "Hey Steve," Sodapop spoke up, curiously.

Steve looked over at him, quirking an eyebrow, "What?" Soda thought for a moment, the only thing that he could hear was other children screaming and laughing. "Are we gonna be best friends? Cause y'know, if we do, we can go anywhere with each other! Like, we can go to Texas!" Soda squealed, excited, "Don't you want to go to Texas? I mean, there's gotta be a lot of rodeos there!" He grinned at the thought, he just loved horses, and rodeos too.

Steve gave Soda a shrug, "Yeah, I guess." He never really cared much about Texas, nor did he think about Texas a lot, he had better things to think about. Soda kept on blabbing on and on, most of the things Soda would say, Steve would just nod and occasionally say, "Yeah," or "Sure,".

"And we could bring my brothers along too! I mean, Pony he'd just love it there!" He paused for a moment, "But Darry probably wouldn't care, I mean he's got better things to do then go to Texas, but it'd still be cool if he came with us!" Steve didn't know who this 'Pony' or 'Darry' Soda was talking about, but then again, he did say that they were his brothers.

"And, and, we can have all the pancakes we want there! 'Cause Mom and Dad won't be there to tell us to stop eatin' 'em!" He grinned widely, and nodded at the thought of eating all the pancakes there was. He then looked over at Steve, his expression serious, as he slowed down the swing. "We're still gonna be best friends 'till the end, right?" He questioned, liking the idea of the two of them being best friends forever.

Steve looked over at him, curiously, before nodding. "Yeah, sure." He paused, flashing Soda a smile. "Best friends 'till the end." The whistle blew, and the two hopped off of the swings, and ran towards the pavement where they would line up. Best friends 'till the end. Steve smiled, he liked the thought of that. He waved goodbye to his new best friend, as he stood in line, waiting for the day to end.

The next day, Sodapop broke his everyday recess schedule, instead of playing tag with Dale and the others, Soda started playing with Steve on the swings, or even drawing in the sand.

* * *

**Alright.. How did you all like it so far? c: R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, last chapter, woo! xD Thank you guys for the reviews for the last one! They made me smile! :3**

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own The Outsiders, Soda, OR Steve. S.E. Hinton does. :C

* * *

**March 11, 1968**

Steve and Soda sprinted through a small village in Laos. They were both drafted into the Vietnam War during August of last year. Both of them were equally upset about the whole thing, but they knew there was no way of getting out. The hardest part was leaving the gang knowing that they might not have seen them again. The two both promised they'd come back, alive. And they made sure that they'd keep their promises.

Soda uneasily glanced around at all the destroyed huts and houses, he winced knowing that there were probably people inside. Soda absolutely hated the idea of going into war, and having to _kill_ people. He wasn't that type of person, though without Steve here with him he would have probably gone insane. The ground shook as bombs were dropped all over the place, exploding every now and then.

Thankfully, they were out of its way before any of them exploded. Besides the bombs dropping, there were also numerous amounts of gunshots, and screaming. Soda couldn't stand the screaming at all, it made his stomach flip every time he heard one. Steve was... well he was Steve, his eyes were hard and he masked any emotion. He didn't even cower a bit when the gunshots inched closer, which amazed Soda.

Soda loosely held his M16 as he ran, but tight enough so he wouldn't drop it along the way. Steve took the lead, aiming his M60 whenever he heard a noise that seemed to be close to them. Soda was a slow learner when it came to shooting guns, while Steve, on the other hand, was a pro at it from the start. With months of training, Soda became better and was as good as the rest of their unit.

Another bomb dropped, as it rocketed towards the ground, just behind the two men, but not that close where it could hurt them. The ground shook, and both of them fell to the ground, debris floating over their heads, and drifting towards the ground. Another blood-curdling scream sounded, and Soda winced resisting the urge to cover his ears.

Steve was up on his feet in no time, glancing back as he got his balance. His eyes slightly widened, and Steve bent down grabbing at Soda's shoulder. "Come on, come on! We gotta go! _Now_!" Soda nodded, getting to his feet, dizzily. He looked back to see what his best friend had been staring at.

Soda's own eyes widened as half of the village was on fire, and it didn't slow down as it roared and the flames licked over all the brush huts, feeding the fuel. _So many people... dead_. Soda thought, crestfallen. Unlike others, he sure was sympathetic towards the fallen, especially the innocent.

Steve interrupted his thought once more, "Soda! Get over here, man! I don't want to be the one carryin' your dead body!" He snapped, rushing out of the village, with Soda close behind. Soda caught himself continuously glancing back at the burning village. "Those poor people, Steve, didn't even get a chance to run away." He sighed, running alongside his friend. Steve huffed, "We don't got any time to be sympathetic for others, Soda. Here all you gotta remember is 'Kill or be killed'. None of that apologetic crap." Soda furrowed his brows, understanding what his friend was saying, but he wasn't that kind of person to not have feelings towards others.

The whole idea of war was stupid, in Soda's opinion. And he was fed up with the whole Soc and Greaser rivalry, he didn't even think about these kind of things. Sure, people didn't get along, but killing each other because of it? Soda didn't really get it, nor did he want to get it.

A childish scream interrupted his thought, and he whipped around in an instant. The scream sounded so close... His frantic eyes scanned the village, and immediately stopped on the closest hut, along the side there was a small child huddled up against it.

Soda knew that he didn't have time to think on what he should do, so he did what his instincts told him to do. His gut told him to keep running, but he knew the right thing to do was to go save that child. He stopped, and was about to run back towards the village to save him, but Steve grabbed his sleeve once more.

"What do you think you're doin'?" He shouted, furious. He was obviously fed up with Soda, and he didn't know how many more times he would have to save him from being blown up, or even from drowning in a stream like last time. Stupid kid was prone to getting into accidents.

"There's a kid back there Steve! He's gonna die!" Soda shouted back, raising his voice over the flames and gunshots, not to mention the bombs too. He actually had a serious expression instead of the usual nervous or disgusted expressions he usually wore. Steve shook his head, gripping Soda's shoulder tighter. "We don't got the time to go back, Soda, we gotta get outta here, fast."

Soda shook his head stubbornly, "He's probably just about 5, Steve!" He inched away from his friend, making Steve grip his jacket tighter. "Let go of me, man! I gotta save 'em!" Steve sighed, reluctantly letting go of his best friend, "It could be a trap." He tried to reason with Soda, but that was no use. He was too stubborn.

Soda flashed Steve a reassuring smile before sprinting off towards the village, taking longer strides each step. He was gonna save that kid even if that was the last thing he'd do. He inhaled the smell of the smoke, making him gag as it got stronger. Each step he took he was closer to the kid who seemed to be paralyzed with fear.

As he got closer he knelt down in front of the kid, about to pick him up, but the kid took a small step back, eyes wide. Soda knew that the kid thought that he was probably going to hurt him. "Hey, hey there," Soda paused, giving the kid a genuine smile. "I'm not gonna hurt you, alright? In fact, I'm here to save ya. You okay with that, kid?" He soothed, using the voice he used to use when Pony was sick or upset when he was younger.

The small child seemed to accept Soda's presence, and he gave him a small nod, before Soda picked him up in his arms. "I'm gonna get you outta here, you dig?" Soda's smile widened into a huge grin, which was the first genuine grin in months.

Steve watched as Soda talked to the kid for a couple seconds before picking him up, and breaking into a jog towards the hill Steve stood on. He glanced around, looking intently for any other people, but hoped that the two wouldn't get hurt, for the fire wasn't that far behind them.

Soda glanced towards his left as gunshots seemed to get louder. From behind the darkness of another house, a man stepped out, gun in hands. He stared directly into Soda's eyes, as Soda's eyes widened. He froze for a brief moment, but that was too late.

A gunshot went off, and Soda felt a white-hot pain enter his thigh. Letting out a small gasp, the child cried, burying his head into Soda's shoulder. Soda closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pain, as he covered the kid's body with his arms to reduce the risk of the kid getting shot. Another gunshot went off, another pain, but in his shoulder this time. "Steve!" Soda shouted as loud as he could, not caring if his voice cracked. Another gunshot.

Soda dropped to the ground, his stomach burning, and he screamed in agony. It didn't help the child at all, it just made the poor kid cry even more, but Soda still embraced the child against his chest.

Steve heard gunshots and his name being called when he realized it was Soda. _Not Soda... _He raced downhill towards the village, where Soda laid, bleeding, with the kid snuggled up against his chest, screaming bloody murder. Time seemed to slow down for Steve has he ran towards his best friend who was like a brother to him. Step by step he ran, which seemed like forever.

He dropped to his knees as he scanned his best friend. A gunshot to the thigh, stomach, and shoulder. Steve winced, not knowing how much pain it would have caused Soda. He leaned forward, slipping his arms beneath Soda's knees and upper back. He heaved himself up, carrying Soda bridal style, with the kid still on Soda's chest. Steve jogged towards the hill, the extra weight slowing him down even more. "Come on Soda..." He whispered, but it was inaudible compared to the ruckus that was going on around them.

The trip towards the hill seemed to take forever for Steve, and probably even longer for his injured friend. Gently, he laid him down on the grass once they reached the top of the hill. Steve unlatched the child from Soda, and plopped him down right beside him. He ruffled the small kid's hair, as he took off his jacket.

Using his jacket, he applied pressure to the stomach wound. "Come on Soda," He repeated, "Stay with me, buddy." He looked over at his face, Soda's head lolled to the side, and he looked at Steve. It took him a second to finally recognize the man, and he weakly smiled. Tears started to well up in Steve's eyes, "You're gonna be okay..." He mumbled, repeatedly, mostly trying to convince himself.

Soda coughed, coughing up blood as it slowly trailed down his chin. Shakily, he reached out to grab Steve's hand, his mouth was moving, as he struggled to say something. This made Steve shake his head, "No, no, no, don't talk Soda. You're gonna be okay. I'm gonna get you home, and you can see Pony and Darry again. Alright? And then we can go to parties, and get all the girls we want... I'm sure of it! I promise..." He trailed off, tears streaming down his rough, muddy face.

Soda's eyes started to droop, "Steve..." He managed to choke out, "Take care of the kid, alright?" His gaze flickered to the child besides Steve, before returning back to his grieving friend. "Y'know, you'd make a great father someday... Better than your ol' man." He coughed, while Steve shook his head. "Nah, don't talk like that Soda, you're not dyin' on me man. You can't die on me man! I need you! I need you here..." He slowly applied more pressure to Soda's wound, ignoring the blood that covered his hands.

"I'm sorry Steve..." He shook his head, weakly, pausing. "Just... whatever you do, keep on fightin'... keep on fightin'... and don't... don't forget about me alright? With that short term memory of yours..." He managed a bloody grin, before spluttering up more blood.

Steve nodded slowly, "I won't Pepsi-Cola... I promise..." More tears streamed down Steve's face, but Soda noticed them this time. Shakily, he reached up to shake Steve's shoulder. "Hey, hey, don't cry man... don't cry..." He coughed, taking in a sharp breath. "Best... friends 'till... the end, right?" He choked out, it was getting harder for Soda to breathe, let alone talk. He struggled to keep his eyes open, as his breathing slowed.

Steve nodded again, too busy applying more pressure on Soda's wound to wipe away his tears. "Best friends 'till the end, Soda, don't you forget that." He flashed his friend a weak, strained smile.

Soda chuckled a bit, making him splutter up some more blood, and started to fall into a coughing fit. The coughs suddenly stopped, as Soda's eyes flickered close, his hand dropped, limp, from Steve's shoulder, and his chest finally stopped moving.

Steve sat back, sobbing, and shaking his head. "Soda..." He inhaled sharply, scowling, and wiped away his tears. His eyes were filled with sorrow, but quickly change into hatred for the world. He grabbed his M60 and stood up, "For you Soda, best friends 'till the end." He glanced back at the village, which was now completely up in flames. He was definitely going to get revenge for his best friend's death.

He grabbed the child's arms and hauled him up to his chest, "Come on, let's go."

* * *

**Yayy, it's donee! :D**

How'd you guys like it? R&R!

Thank you guys!


End file.
